The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday announced it will conclude its ongoing ‘Election Karao, Mulk Bachao’ (hold elections, save the nation) campaign this Friday, ahead of party chief Imran Khan addressing a public rally on Saturday in which he’ll give a “final” date for the dissolution of the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assemblies.
Addressing media outside Khan’s Zaman Park residence in Lahore, PTI leader Hammad Azhar said the party plans to hold simultaneous rallies nationwide on Saturday, with the party chief’s address being broadcast via video-link. “The main rally will be arranged at Liberty Chowk [in Lahore] on Saturday and the rest of the country will participate in the event through a video link,” he said after a meeting of the PTI leadership with Khan to finalize arrangements for the gathering.
According to sources, Khan also met lawmakers from Punjab, who endorsed his decision to dissolve the provincial assembly. However, they said, differences persist among some members of the party, who believe it would be premature to dissolve the assemblies without securing support through development work in their constituencies. A key stumbling block, despite claims to the contrary by both the PTI and the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid), remains Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi, who has already said he advised Khan to stall the dissolution until March.
“The PMLQ is a vital ally. We have intimated them of our decision,” the sources quoted Khan as saying during the meeting, claiming the two parties are on the “same page.”
Separately, Punjab Senior Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal—a member of the PTI—told media he had suggested dissolving the assemblies before Dec. 20 so elections could be held before Ramzan—due in April 2023. He also reiterated an unverified claim of the Punjab chief minister giving Khan the summary to dissolve the Punjab Assembly at a time of his choosing.
PTI leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, earlier this month, announced that if the federal government did not issue a date for early general elections by Dec. 20, his party would dissolve the KP and Punjab assemblies on Dec. 21. The party has since walked this stance back somewhat, with the disagreement between the PTI and PMLQ likely playing a role in the dithering.
Rifts over dissolution
In a posting on Twitter, PTI Secretary-General Asad Umar admitted that there was a difference of opinion among party members regarding the dissolution of assemblies, adding that while some people favored an immediate dissolution, others were against it. However, he maintained, the party would agree with whatever decision Khan made.
Adding to the confusion are differences within the PTI over whether it should dissolve the assemblies in phases, with Punjab being wrapped up first and then the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Assembly to follow. This has faced resistance within the party, with sources saying Punjab’s lawmakers maintain both assemblies should be dissolved simultaneously or not at all. A key concern voiced by some party members in Punjab is that their provincial assembly would be dissolved, while the KP one would not, forcing them to contest elections without any added pressure on the federal government to proceed toward snap polls.